WAEC, NECO’s N27,000 Fees Raised To ₦50,000 –NANS Rejects, Calls It Insensitive
The Federal Government has approved N50,000 as the new examination fee for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) for secondary school candidates, effective from 2027.
Currently, the registration fee stands at N27,500, making the new increment an 82 percent hike.
However, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) immediately rejected the upward review of the registration fees, describing the decision as insensitive to the prevailing economic realities.
In a statement dated June 18 and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, the government said the approval followed a request by WAEC for an upward review of the fee for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) beginning from 2027.
According to the statement, the decision was reached after a meeting between examination bodies and the Minister of Education held on March 31, 2026, where the need to review examination fees was discussed.
The ministry said the minister directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform examination fee for the conduct of their SSCE examinations.
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Honourable Minister of Education on 31 March, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the Honourable Minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE,” the statement read.
“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of fifty thousand naira (N50,000.00) only as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027.”
The ministry directed that the decision be communicated to all relevant stakeholders.
“I can confirm the approval of an upward review of the examination fees. I spoke with the director in charge a few minutes ago and he said the approval was done,” the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Folasade Boriowo, on Saturday, said the government had approved the upward review of the examination fees.
NANS KICKS
In a press release issued on Saturday and signed by NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, the students’ body condemned both the ministry’s approval and the proposal by the examination bodies to increase the fees.
“The reported increase raises the registration fee for each examination to N50,000, bringing the combined cost for candidates intending to sit both WAEC and NECO examinations to N100,000, excluding additional charges imposed by schools,” NANS said.
The association argued that the increase would place further financial strain on students and their families when many Nigerians are already grappling with the effects of ongoing economic reforms.
“If the Federal Ministry of Education and the leadership of WAEC and NECO cannot make the examinations more affordable and accessible, they should refrain from introducing policies that would further burden students and parents,” NANS said.
The students’ body also faulted the decision-making process, alleging that the approval was granted without adequate consultation with stakeholders, particularly the National Association of Nigerian Students, which it described as the apex body representing Nigerian students.
“A decision of this magnitude, affecting millions of students across the country, cannot be made unilaterally by the Ministry of Education. Anything for us, without us, is against us,” the statement said.
NANS called on the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately reverse the reported fee increase and urged the ministry to engage student representatives in future policy decisions affecting Nigerian students.
The association maintained that it would continue to advocate for the welfare and interests of students across the country.
